Mets look to keep streaking in finale vs. LA

By Tom Singer / MLB.com

Ely's coming. But the resurgent Mets don't seem to be going anywhere.

John Ely steps out for the Dodgers in Wednesday afternoon's finale of this hurry-up series. The 23-year-old in his Major League debut will be the first roadblock in the Mets' way to a seventh straight victory.

The Dodgers will try to heat up their bats against John Maine to avoid heading home with some unwanted baggage: Three losses in a little more than 24 hours.

Of late, the Dodgers definitely have not been getting good Mannywood on the ball. Since Manny Ramirez was shut down with a strained right calf, they have scored a total of 15 runs in losing five of six.

Hoping to benefit from an offensive reawakening is Ely, who steps into the spot vacated by Vicente Padilla when he went on the disabled list with a right forearm injury.

One of the young pitchers acquired from the White Sox in the Juan Pierre deal, Ely has a solid Minor League track record -- 32-16 in three-plus seasons, including 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA in three starts at Albuquerque this year.

The surging Mets will intend to close out what's currently an 8-1 homestand on another high note. A seventh consecutive win would be their longest since an identical streak last May 4-10.

The Dodgers hope to have Maine-nemesis Rafael Furcal back in the lineup. Furcal sat out the nightcap of the doubleheader with a tight left hamstring, which he felt while running to try to beat a double-play relay in the seventh inning of the first game.

Furcal is 6-for-11 (.545) lifetime against Maine. An even bigger threat against the right-hander is Ronnie Belliard, who is 9-for-15 with a home run.

Stopping the suddenly-potent Mets before retreating to Los Angeles is a stern challenge for the Dodgers. Jerry Manuel's club began this spree very tentatively -- remember a 2-1 win in St. Louis that took 20 innings? -- but the offense finally seems to be catching up with the consistently-stout pitching.

With rookie Ike Davis a major component of the attack, the Mets reached a new season high in runs with their 10-5 doubleheader-sweeping victory.

Dodgers: Bats quiet in April struggles
The consecutive shutouts were the first for the Dodgers since June 12-13, 2008 (first the Padres, then the Tigers) -- six weeks before the acquisition of Ramirez. ... The doubleheader sweep doomed the Dodgers (8-12 with three games to go) to their second sub-.500 April in the last 17 seasons. They were 12-13 in the opening month in 2006 and 11-12 in 1994.

Mets: Tuesday proves twice as nice for club
The twin-bill sweep was the Mets' first over the Dodgers since Aug. 28, 1971, when New York won a pair, 9-2 and 2-1, at Shea Stadium.

Worth noting
Johan Santana now is 3-0 with a 0.44 ERA in three career starts against the Dodgers. ... All three of the switch-hitters in the second-game lineup against Dodgers right-handed knuckleballer Charlie Haeger -- Angel Pagan, Luis Castillo and Jose Reyes -- batted from the right side. The tactic is common -- same-side batters get a better look at the fluttering baseball -- but did it work? The trio combined to go 1-for-5, with three walks, against Haeger.

This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.